Day 3 in the Lake

Day 3 was hard! Conditions were ok - a bit overcast, a bit of drizzle. And the lake wasn't TOO choppy - that's the first thing I break my neck to look at as we swing round the corner to Pooley Bridge! Mhairi and I had company on Day 3 (Monday 17th June). Neil and Emma both professional like Mhairi.  (Lots better than me anyway!)

We parked in Pooley Bridge car park and decided we'd live dangerously and chance getting away without putting a ticket on the car from the pay and display this time. We agreed we'd split the fine - if we got one! Seeing as we were the only car in the car park at 9.30am we thought the chances of getting caught were pretty slim. Neil and Emma arrived and Mhairi told them about our cunning plan. We'd kind of forgot Neil was a policeman! Oops!

Damn wetsuit seems to be shrinking rather than fitting better. Maybe it was because there were 2 extra people there it made me nervous!

Walking to the Lake I overhead conversations like 'on the bike I use gels', 'the last 3 miles at */?** were the hardest' 'I've a bike and swim to do today' of which I joined in because obviously I was a professional too now as it was my third swim...

It was decided we would swim towards Waterside campsite (!?!) and see how I get on. Ooooookkkaayyy. So we set off and I did ok, except my new googles were leaking and I didn't want to stop after 5 yards so I kept going with one eye shut. The other problem I have at the moment is I need a filling. I have a crater size hole in a back tooth, and when I swim, the cold water gets in and it's like crunching on an ice cube - yes, you know the feeling right. I remedy that by sticking my tongue in the crater. So I was swimming along merrily, with one eye shut and my tongue in my tooth... It's a good job no-one can see me underwater- I'd look like I was trying to gurn at the same time as swimming.

We didn't quite make it to Waterside, but far enough along, to a red buoy. I huffed and puffed for a minute til I got my breath back, then we were off again , this time back the way we came, but past the start point and all the way across towards the steamer pier. What!! Mhairi said 'It's half a mile. You can do it!' Dear God. And I did do it. One eye shut, tongue in tooth - it was great!

Neil and Emma set back of for the red buoy and I decided that was enough for one day, and headed back in. Mhairi's watch said we had swum 0.76 of a mile! How chuffed was I! I was as red as a beetroot mind, and puffing like a steam train but I felt elated. I was actually getting somewhere. When it's the Swim Day, I want to be able to swim all of it without stopping, so I need to be able to get to 1 mile in my training.

I wobbled back to the car, as I was feeling a bit motion sick again - even though I had tried my new ear plugs. I'm sure water got in then the ear plugs trapped it in there! Mm. Keeping an eye on that. Straight home then straight to work - didn't have time for a shower so looked like I'd swam in a lake for the rest of the day, which of course I had!

Don't forget, if you are enjoying the blog, I'm doing The Swim to raise money for the Stroke Association and you can donate by going to www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson. My aim is to raise £500.

Many thanks!

Day 2 in the Lake

I have to confess that my first swim in the lake should have been a few Sundays ago, however the sun was shining, and having called in at some friends (Will and Jill) for 5 minutes, I caved in, (after 10 minutes of Jill going 'Have a beer!' and me saying 'NO! I'm going swimming!') to the lure of beer and BBQ and cancelled my swim with Mhairi, much to her (and mine!) disgust. I think her text read something like 'It better be a life or death situation Moira Dudson!', as I left a message for her saying 'Something's come up...!' I wondered how I could make BBQ and beer sound like a life or a death situation.... Anyway, so far that's been my only blip, and I am in fact gagging to be in the lake!

My first dip was Thursday, and my second foray into the Lake was to be the very next day, Friday 14th June (1 month exactly to The Swim). We parked at Pooley Bridge, again to the lull before the storm of tourists, got changed - still a struggle, I hadn't sped up overnight, and strode down to the Lake with a positive spring in my step - till I saw the waves! I felt sick just looking at them. They were huge! Well, you know what I mean, they were bigger than the day before.

Mhairi said we would stay nearer to the shore, where it might be less choppy. That was fine by me - my seasick-ometer was on red alert. In we plunged, cooler than the day before and set off around the boats. I stopped at one point and shouted to Mhairi 'Come and look at this!'. She immediately started backing away and shouting 'No!' It was only a sunken boat, jeez anyone would think it was a dead body or something...!

I couldn't believe how much harder it was to swim with waves. You turn to breathe in and get a mouthful of lake water instead. Not pleasant. My mantra has become 'Don't think about it. Don't think about it' when thinking about the state of the water, the murkiness, the beasties in the water - you get the picture? I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere! I realised if conditions on The Swim Day were like this it wasn't going to be quite as I pictured it -sun shining, friends and family watching whilst enjoying a picnic, maybe even a BBQ, the dog and kids paddling - everyone cheering and waving flags, not a breath of wind, boats gliding lazily across the surface, hands going into smooth, glass like water.... Mmmm.

Reality check. Coupled with this, whenever we stopped I had to make sure I was in shallow water so I could stand up and anchor myself, as I felt really sea sick! We managed to make it over 400 yards this time, and gave up due to the atlantic ocean waves. I staggered back to the car, changed and drove home feeling rotten. This time Mhairi forgot her underwear - I think she just wanted to see how it felt going commando myself. It was later on in the day before the sickness subsided. I decided I needed to take drastic action, as I didn't want the motion sickness putting me off. The next day I purchased ear plugs (apparently it's the cold water in the inner ear that can course motion sickness), and some root ginger capsules (aids digestion and helps with motion sickness - and keeps midges at bay apparently!) I felt confident this would get me back on track.

Here's a video of an open water swim in Buttermere recently - looks awesome! And if that doesn't make you want to have a go - nothing will!!

Buttermere open water swim video

The serious part of this swim is I am going to do it for charity (don't groan!). The plus side being it will give me more motivation to do it, the down side is a) I will probably fall over the finish line a blubbering wreck, and b) it means you have to dig deep. I would like to think I could raise somewhere in the region of £500.

I will be swimming for the Stroke Asscociation http://www.stroke.org.uk/, as those of you who know me, know my mum had a massive stroke 4 years ago, and now needs full time care and is in a home. She was only 66 at the time, and now she can't speak, walk, barely swallow, or do anything for herself, and spends her days in a wheelchair, leaving my dad and myself and two sisters bereft. This could happen to anyone - your mum, dad, brother, sister, partner, friend. By raising money for the Stroke Association, your generosity will help provide support through Life After Stroke or information services, funding pioneering research, campaigning or providing Life After Stroke Grants to help improve the quality of stroke survivors lives.

Visit my Just Giving page to sponsor me www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson
You can donate through the Just Giving page, text a donation, or the easy old fasioned way by filling in my sponsor form!

Many thanks!

Day 3 will follow later today!

Day 1 in the Lake

Last year I entered an Epic Swim in the Lake District. And didn't do it. I failed. Miserably. I even talked someone into doing it with me, and they went on to get hooked and completed the swim, leaving me feeling very ashamed and weak willed.

So, I have entered again! The Ullswater Epic Swim on Sunday July 14th 2013 in the Lake District. And this time I WILL do it!! Hence this blog, FaceBook pictures, sponsor form. I figured the more i  get myself out there and let as many people know as possible - I can't possibly fail this time!

I am very lucky to live only 10 minutes drive from Ullswater - it helps -  a few hours drive to a venue would have been another excuse not to do it. My friend Mhairi (experienced triathlete) offered to enter the swim too, and start me off in the lake. I wasn't aware it's a no-no going in on your own. I suppose steamers, currents, cold water, boats may get in the way a bit, and needs more than a quick dynamic risk assessment (I live by dynamic risk assessments - my kids are experts in them - 'Don't jump off that! - what's the WORST thing that could happen?')

First thing I needed was a wetsuit - and the little shorty one I use in Devon for body boarding wasn't going to cut the mustard either. I contacted our local bike shop, owned by friends Sarah and Phil Graham, who also organise the local Tri Club, and checked she had a Mrs Blobby size wetsuit before I showed myself up expecting there to be one. She assured me I wasn't THAT big and that yes she did have plenty 'larger' sizes.  She would get one out for me. So off I went on Saturday morning, leaving Man in the car telling him I wouldn't be long (famous last words....)

We had a heat wave that day, and after Sarah thrust said wetsuit into my arms and instructed me to go and change in the bathroom upstairs, i was sweating profusely before I even got my clothes off.

Let me set the scene....The toilet had no window, 4 foot square and was around 300 degrees hot , give or take a degree or two. I stripped down to my swim cossie (already put on before leaving the house, and reminded me of the days I used to go to the local swim baths as a child with my sisters, a walk of about 3 miles, and I'd wear my cossie because you got in the pool quicker. And then after swimming you realised you'd left your knickers behind and had to walk the 3 miles home commando, holding on to your skirt as the lorries passed you so you didn't flash your bum.)

Sarah said, inch the wetsuit up over your legs and when you get it to waist height give me a shout. Hmmm. Easier said than done. It was like trying to prise myself into a straightjacket 3 sizes too small. By the time I got it to waist height, I was swimming in sweat (which made me think 'I'm gonna have to buy it now I've sweated all over it!'). I burst out of the toilet like a horse out of its starting block. Phil thought it was highly amusing (he's obviously used to over weight middle aged women squeezing into wetsuits in his shop...). Sarah came up and started helping me into the rest of the suit. Arms first, and then made me bend over double to 'hitch it up over my bum'. I explained it was far too small for me and I need a bigger size, but she assured me it was fine. She then demonstrated a gymnastic move to get the zip up the back done up yourself, which I tried and failed, believing I was going to nip my skin with the zip (another childhood memory).

Finally, I was in it, trussed up like a Christmas Day turkey. Sarah spun me around to check it fit, and there were no gaps anywhere. You couldn't have fit a grain of sand in it let me tell you. I was then allowed out of the straightjacket, I mean wetsuit and the relief was palpabble. Mind you, I did comment how it would be great under a dress, like one of those Triumph full bodysuits to hold everything in and avoid muffin tops! Slick with sweat I thanked Sarah, paid my £140 and left, exhausted. I headed back to the car, and needless to say Man wasn't happy - '45 minutes you've been! I thought you were just buying a wetsuit not swimming the lake in it!' If only he knew....'

So my first swim came on Thursday 13th June, and Mhairi filled me in on the do's and don'ts. Don't look down. Do 'sight' properly. Don't hit the bouys. Do breathe to both sides. I mean, I am a good swimmer - swam to county level in my youth (in a pool), and it's like riding a bike right? Just on a different road?

I was really excited! We parked at Pooley Bridge car park, very quiet at 9.30 in the morning fortunately (for those of you who don't know Pooley Bridge, it's like St. Ives in peak season and peak times - full of touroids. Cossie was already on - be prepared! Poured myself into my wetsuit (15 minutes), and then we walked to the lake 5 minutes away, passing the OAPs out for their morning constitutional, who didn't bat an eyelid at us! Either they were blind or are used to seeing people in wetsuits wandering about.

We got to a little sandy bay and put our pink hats on. Not sure if that's so they can see you under water if you drown, or so the steamers can see you and avoid running you over... And in I went! The wetsuit was amazing - you couldn't feel the water, apart from your face, hands and feet. The lake had been a pleasant 17 degrees a few days earlier Mhairi informed me, and I was tempted to believe her. We waded out and set off, around a few boats moored up, and a couple of bouys. I was giddy with excitement! I was doing it, and what's more, I was loving it! The water was quite murky - in fact, very murky - gone was the illusion of crystal clear water, and me fish spotting - 'Ooh look there's a trout!' I've always had an affinity with water - wherever I walk with my dog, it has to be by water, and not just for her benefit. I should have been a Piscies instead of a Virgo! I felt so at home, and it all came flooding back to me. Mhairi showed me how to 'sight', as unlike in a pool, you have no pool ends, lane ropes, floor markers to guide you. It's easy to go off track, wasting energy, and in races, banging into other swimmers, which according to Mhairi, is very annoying!

We rested and bobbed about for a bit, there was a bit of a 'swell' - the wetsuits are quite bouyant, and then swam some more laps - by which time I was huffing and puffing like a steam train - how unfit?! Mhairi has a fancy watch which measures the distance and she informed me we had swum 399 yards....! What?!! I felt like I'd done the Ironman swim distance. I felt a tad deflated after that, but Mhairi said I'd done well. I glowed like a ten year old praised by her teacher. She was impressed I'd put my head straight in, and had gone straight out without flapping. I promised myself I would swim futher next time.

I felt 10 feet tall as we walked past the OAPs back to the car. I wanted to stop them and tell them I'd swum 399 yeard in the lake, didn't they know! I peeled the wetsuit off (15 minutes - I'd have to practice that if I ever want to take up triathlons, as the other athletes would have finished the bike leg while I would be still hopping about one leg in one leg out of wetsuit.) I suddenly realised that i felt a bit queasy - like sea sickness. Now I know I am a seriously bad traveller/passenger - I just need to look at a boat and get sea sick, but come on! I did feel like I'd just got off the Calais to Dover ferry, and didn't quite get my land legs back til later that afternoon.I was going to have get that sorted out.

I dried off, and just as I was going to take my cossie off, I realised I had made the same old school girl error. I'd left my knickers behind. Old habits die hard.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 2 in the lake on Friday 14th June